Understanding "Takes" of records?

[larryh]

I have been starting to record over some earlier selections I had put up on my You Tube Channel under "Acousticedison". My old camera while I was excited to get anything up was not something I could figure out how to set the focus on well and the sound was only automatic record levels so that it distorted the true experience a bit. This morning I selected "Hearts and Flowers" by Walter Chapman on the piano. I played and recorded the selection but it was extra noisy surface wise which I thought my original didn't have quite so badly.. However the sound of it was quite impressive for piano selections. I looked and found a second copy in my stack of piano recordings. I played it and the surface was a bit better but I noted the overall sound was not as exciting as the first one which I had recorded. I started to look at the scratched codes on the run off and the one I liked the best was 8375-B-3-1. The record which was less exciting was 8374-B-2-6. So the last two numbers of the records are different.

My question is does the 1 mean first take and the 6 a sixth take? What is the 2 or 3 representing then.. Do these simply mean pressings or was each record actually recorded by the artist at different times. If so Mr. Chapman was quite a bit more dynamic on the one marked ending in 1.

Can someone fill me in on what these mean for sure?

It makes you wonder what differences are out there in various forms of music. I know I have a William Tell Overture where the side one is way more dynamic sounding than the other. That was the first time I really realized how different the same selection could be dependent on takes of a record.

Larry

[VintageTechnologies]

I'm no expert on takes, but as I understand it, Edison typically recorded three takes. I believe they are represented as A, B, or C. The other numbers may be stamper numbers.

I have collected more than a few titles duplicated in two and sometimes three different takes, such as "Haunting Blues" by the Broadway Dance Orchestra and "Prelude In C-Sharp Minor" by Frederick Kinsley. I have also have some different takes by the Georgia Melodians. It is usually possible to notice some differences between them, sometimes subtle, sometimes dramatic.

[Wolfe]

Frequently a matrix sent to be pressed for an outside "foreign" market will contain alt takes. So, if Sad L. Face and his Frownie Mouths recorded a side in New York, one plate (take) will be used to service the home market and another sent to U.K. - Europe or wherever. Reissues/pressings of older material will sometimes contain alt takes from original issues as well. Or if it was a heavily pressed side and the master wore out, or it couldn't be located.

[larryh]

Thanks for the information so far... I did put the record up on my site today but now I have an issue where the adjustable camera volume may be very loud for some records and not so loud for others. The piano selection isn't nearly as dramatic and strong on the video as it is here. Of course you can adjust the volume but I think it constricts the music perhaps a bit when the top level is too low?

Larry

[victorIIvictor]

Larry, you might find this a useful reference to answer your questions in your original post:

http://monarchrecs.com/upcoming.html

For example, the second sample page from the book on this webpage


http://monarchrecs.com/preview.html

… addresses your question about takes.

Best wishes, Mark